Manawa
by purplerayz
Summary: Danny just needs to spend some time with his kids while he recovers. Tag to 8x10.


Danny jolts awake and winces as the ache in his side flares up. He brings his left hand to the right side of his chest, holding it there until the pain eases to a more bearable level. He hadn't meant to fall asleep sitting on the couch, yet he's not surprised that he did. His energy is still shot to hell, along with his lung, though that's much improved, from the bullet wound. He finds himself sleeping a lot since he returned home two days ago.

The sound of a key in the door behind him nearly startles him again, disrupting the peace and quiet of the house. He smiles, though, knowing just who it is. He desperately wants to get up to greet them, but the twinges still lingering in his chest from his sudden movement tell him it might not be such a good idea. Instead, he just turns his head to the door as it opens.

"Danno!"

Charlie bolts through the door before it even fully opens and races around to the front of the couch.

"Charlie, slow down!" Steve warns from the doorway.

Charlie falters just as he reaches Danny, barely catching himself from barreling into him with a hug. He bumps against Danny's knee as he stops, looking guilty for not remembering to be careful. He eyes Steve and then Danny, waiting warily.

"Come here," Danny encourages, patting the seat cusion on his left, his good side. Charlie hesitates only briefly before clambering up on the couch next to him, and Danny reaches his arm around him, pulling him into a one-sided hug.

"Hi, Danno," Grace greets from behind him.

"Hey, Monkey." Danny leans his head back against the couch and gets an upside down view of his daughter's face. She leans forward and kisses him on the forehead, an odd show of affection from the teenager. But she, unlike Charlie, knows the truth about what happened, how he'd nearly died.

"Is your lung still sick, Danno?" comes Charlie's innocent voice from below.

Rachel had brought the two of them to visit him in the hospital, but hadn't explained what had really happened to Charlie. Not sure he would even understand, Danny had only told him that his lung was 'sick', as Charlie put it, and it would take a while to heal.

Danny turns his attention back down to Charlie, who's waiting patiently for him to answer.

"Yeah, bud. Remember when I told you it would take some time to get better? I meant more than a day or two."

"Oh," Charlie responds, accepting the response in stride. "Is Uncle Steve staying over? For real?" He asks, looking at Danny only, continuing on as if he's not sure he should believe _anything_ Uncle Steve says. "He says he is."

Danny can't help the smile that seems to be continually plastered on his face. Steve had indeed agreed to stay for the weekend, even offered to pick the kids up, so Danny could have his normal weekend with them. He'd only been out of the hospital a couple of days, still not up to par. Grace would have been fine, but he's not sure he'd be able to keep a handle on Charlie, even with Grace's help. Charlie was full of an energy that he can't even remember Grace having at that age, so the extra adult in the house would ease his mind more than anything else.

"I don't know," Danny finally answers slowly, as if he has to think about it. "I think maybe we should make him sleep out in his truck."

"No! No!" Charlie darts dramtically from the couch to cling to Steve's legs. "He can sleep in here!"

The truth was, Steve had slept in here the last couple nights, crashing on the couch in case Danny needed help with anything.

Steve drops his bag, repacked full of clean clothes for the weekend, down on the floor and scoops Charlie up and throws him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"I think I'll take your bed, Charlie," Steve suggests as he heads down the hall towards the bedrooms.

"No, No!" Charlie giggles as he's carried away, playfully swatting Steve's back.

Danny watches them until they disappear from view with an odd sense of longing. He wants nothing more than to be the one lifting Charlie up, making him laugh, but there won't be any sort of lifting for him for quite awhile, until he's properly healed.

"You okay, Danno?" Grace asks as she sits on his left in Charlie's vacated seat.

Danny automatically wraps his arm around her, repeating the ealier half-hug he'd given Charlie. "Yeah, I'm good."

"You look sad."

He eyes his daughter for a moment. These days, he can't hide anything from her, so he sighs. "Just realized I won't be able to pick Charlie up for awhile. No heavy lifting."

Danny's smile returns when the moment passes. It's hard not to smile when he hears more giggling drifting out from Charlie's bedroom. He turns his attention back to Grace. "So, I was thinking a movie before bed, since I can't do much. Wanna start some popcorn?"

Danny could make the popcorn himself, that much he could handle, but Grace readily agrees and sets off on her task.

Danny doesn't have to move an inch in the end. With Grace taking care of the popcorn and finding the movie, and Steve returning several minutes later with a pajama-clad Charlie, Danny doesn't have to get up from his spot on the couch. Charlie immediately claims the open seat next to Danny, snuggling in as close as possible to his left side.

Danny only manages to eat a handful of popcorn before he begins to doze on and off, catching only snippets of the movie.

He blinks when he feels his arm being lifted and automatically tightens his grip around the small warm body next to him. He realizes he's slouched down quite a bit and Charlie, still plastered to his side, is sleeping. The room is quiet, so he assumes the movie must be over, and Steve is hovering over the two of them.

"S'alright," Danny mutters when he realizes Steve had been attempting to extricate Charlie from his side, probably to put him to bed. "Leave him for a bit."

He knows it's a little unnecessary, but he feels the need to hold Charlie for a while longer. He knows just how close he'd been to never seeing him again, so any contact feels amazing, and he doesn't want to let go.

Steve seems to understand the unspoken need and abandons his attempts to take Charlie from him. Danny shifts so he's a bit more comfortable and closes his eyes again. He feels the warmth of a blanket a moment later as he drifts off again.

He can't breathe. There's a heavy weight on his chest, and the pain shoots through his right side. He gasps in an attempt to breathe, but his right lung seems to seize at the effort.

"Danny?"

Danny's eyes finally shoot open. The light in the room is low, and he makes out the vague outline hovering over him once again to be Steve. The weight is suddenly gone from his chest, and he can breathe a little easier, but he's still gasping for air.

"Danny, just breathe, buddy."

Danny attempts to sit up, but Steve grabs his shoulders, holding him down.

"Stay still. Just breathe through it."

Danny does what he's told and closes his eyes, focusing on his breathing. Several moments pass before his breathing eases. The pain in his chest, however, lingers.

"What..." Danny mutters, blinking again in confusion.

"I think Charlie moved onto you in his sleep. Just hang on on sec."

Steve disappears from view, and Danny turns his head to glance around the room. Charlie is laying on the other chair, still aound asleep and completely oblivious, thankfully. Danny, himself, is sprawled out on the couch, blanket halfway on the floor.

Steve returns with pain meds and a glass of water. He helps Danny sit up slowly and offers him the meds and water. Danny gratefully accepts, and once he downs them, he leans back against the couch, hoping they kick in quickly.

"Let me make sure he didn't do any damage."

Danny doesn't reply, but Steve must take his silence as an agreement. His shirt is lifted up out of the way, and Danny winces as the bandages are pulled away from his skin.

"Sorry," Steve apologizes. "They look okay, but I might as well change the bandages right away."

Danny nods. "Put him to bed first, huh?"

"Yeah. Okay," Steve agrees. He picks Charlie up carefully, and once again he doesn't stir as Steve takes him to his bedroom. When Steve appears in front of Danny again, his hands are full of the suggested clean bandages.

Danny lets Steve do all the work, mainly because he feels too exhausted to put up a fight. It doesn't take long for the bandages to be replaced.

"How's the pain?" Steve asks when he finishes.

"Better, thanks."

The pain meds are beginning to kick in, the pain easing.

"Sorry, Danny, I should have taken him to bed sooner."

"Not your fault," Danny counters. "I'm the one who though it was a good idea to sleep with a child and a bad lung."

"You should head to bed," Steve suggests. "You'll be more comfortable there."

"I'm comfortable right here."

"You're in my bed," Steve deadpans.

Danny smirks because he knows Steve would have no problem making himself comfortable in another chair, which was likely what he'd done before Charlie had inadvertently woken them both up. He also knew Steve wouldn't be above stealing Danny's bed, since it wasn't in use, but he'd probably wanted to stay close in case... well, in case Charlie moved in his sleep bowled into Danny's chest.

"Alright," Danny agrees. He knows Steve is right. The bed will be much more comfortable, and he'll be less likely to regret it in the morning with sore and stiff muscles. He forces himself to get up and walk to his own bed and get under the covers. It doesn't take him long to fall asleep.

When he wakes again, he judges it to be mid-morning by the light coming through the curtains. The house is oddly quiet, and Steve and the kids should definitely be up by now. Despite the incessant want to just _not_ _move_ , his curiosity finally gets the best of him, and he forces himself out of his comfortable bed.

He checks Grace's and Charlie's rooms on the way, but they're both empty. It doesn't take him long to find that the whole house is empty, and a note from Steve is laying on the kitchen counter that says they'll be back shortly. He takes a peek out the front window, and Steve's truck is indeed gone.

He decides to take a shower while he waits and at least change into a clean set of clothes for the day, seeing as he'd slept in the ones he wore yesterday. He takes his time in the shower, hoping the kids will be back by the time he's done. He smiles when he leaves the bathroom a short while later, hearing the sounds that drift through the house that tells him they're back.

He heads to the living room, where the voices are coming from. The question of where they went dies on the tip of his tongue, and he stops in his tracks. Steve, Charlie, and Grace are all in the living room. Along with a very large, very nice green tree.

Steve is busy making sure the tree is set up right, so he doesn't notice Danny standing in the doorway. Grace and Charlie are to busy watching Steve, so they don't see him either. He watches with amusement as Charlie bounces up and down on his heels in excitement.

Finally, Danny clears his throat. "What's going on?" He knows the answer, but asks anyway.

"We got a Christmas tree, Danno!" Charlie explains, too loudly.

"I see that," Danny agrees. "Why did you get a Christmas tree?"

"Well," Steve answers as he stands up straight, admiring his work, "I was informed yesterday that this is usually the weekend you decorate for Christmas."

Danny had been trying not to think about it. Normally, he'd be decorating the tree and the house with Grace and Charlie this weekend, but since he's not allowed to do much, he hadn't even brought the subject up.

"We're going to do all the work, and you can supervise from the couch," Steve informs him.

Danny quirks an eyebrow skeptically. "So, I get to order you around?"

"Yes," Steve answers with a smile that says Danny can order him around all he wants, but they both know he won't listen.

Danny agrees happily, because even though he won't get to do any of the work, he gets to spend the time with his kids, and if he can't help, at least he can watch.

After a light lunch, Danny sits on the couch dutifully while Steve and Grace drag the Christmas boxes in from the garage before they start to decorate. He only has to be told to sit back down on the couch three times, twice by Steve and once by Charlie, oddly enough. He dozes off in the late afternoon, despite the noises and chatter around him. He feels safe and relaxed, almost able to forget the fact that he nearly died twice in one week.

When he wakes, he's laying on his left side, a pillow under his head, a blanket covering him. The lights from the Christmas tree disconcert him for a moment as he slowly blinks to adjust his sight. They are the only lights on in the room, but the soft glow is enough to see he's alone again. He sits up slowly, and the blanket slides down.

"Hey," Steve greets from the doorway. "I just put Charlie to bed, but he's still awake if you want to say goodnight."

Danny nods and runs a hand through his hair before getting up. The light from the hall is enough to see with, so he doesn't turn on Charlie's light when he enters the room. He sits carefully on Charlie's bed next to him, pulling him close to his good side.

"Hey, bud. Sorry, I slept through the evening," Danny apologizes.

"It's okay. Uncle Steve said you need lots of naps to get better."

Danny smiles. "Yeah, I do. Are you having fun with Uncle Steve at least?"

"Uh huh," Charlie nods. "But he needs a stocking."

"He does, huh?"

Charlie's head bobs up and down again. "He doesn't have one, and he needs one so Santa can fill it."

"With lumps of coal?" Danny teases.

"No, he's been a good boy, helping us decorate and take care of us while you're sick!"

Danny's teasing smile falters. "I guess he has been pretty good, huh?"

Charlie nods again and closes his eyes. Danny stays until his breathing evens out in sleep, and then stays a few more minutes just holding him. Eventually, he extricates himself carefully and slowly gets off the bed, but Charlie is out for the count and doesn't stir from the movement.

He heads into the hall and stops outside Grace's room. She's on her bed reading, but looks up when she notices him standing in the doorway. Danny approaches the bed, and much the same as with Charlie, he sits on the bed next to her.

"I'm sorry I slept through the evening," he finds himself repeating.

"You need your rest," Grace responds in a tone that's more grown up that he wants to admit.

"Yeah, but I was hoping to spend more time with you and Charlie this weekend, so I feel bad."

"Don't. I'm just glad you're okay."

Danny pulls her into a hug, not sure what to say. He kisses the top of her head without thinking about it. Grace's book lay abandoned on the bed, and neither of them move for several moments. Danny would be content to hold her in silence for hours if she'd let him.

"You know, uh," Danny clears his throat, trying to keep his voice steady, "after I was shot, I was kind of, uh, hallucinating, dreaming, I don't know. You and Charlie were all grown up, you were getting married."

Grace snorts a little laugh and looks up at him. "To who?"

"Does is matter? You know this wasn't the actual future, right?" Danny smiles, but Grace doesn't answer. "To Will," Danny finally relents. "But don't get any ideas. You're way too young to be thinking about marriage."

Grace smiles. "What else did you see... dream about?"

"The restaurant, Charlie graduating the academy... Steve and I still bickering as old men."

Grace laughs. "So all good stuff?"

"Yeah," Danny sighs. "Anyway, the point is, I want to still be around for all that stuff. I know Charlie's too young to get it, but I want you to know that you guys helped me hang on. I hung on to those thoughts."

Danny's just barely holding onto his emotions, so when Grace sniffs beneath him, the tears fall from his eyes, too. "I didn't mean to make you cry, Monkey."

That just seems to make her cry harder, so Danny just holds her tight and lets her. Grace hadn't cried, even when she learned what had happened, according to Rachel, so Danny's not surprised that she's finally broken down.

It's several minutes before Grace calms down, and Danny continues to hold her. Eventually, her breathing evens out in sleep. It's still early yet for her to go to bed, which makes him wonder if she's been sleeping much the last few days. He stays until he's sure she's out before settling her into the bed. He sets the forgotten book on the night stand and pulls the blanket up to cover her before leaving the room.

Steve is waiting anxiously in the living room, standing with his arms crossed. It's obvious that he'd heard Grace crying, but didn't want to disturb them. "Is she okay?"

Danny runs a hand through his hair tiredly. He feels exhausted again, despite all the sleep he's gotten. "Yeah. I think she's just been holding it in too long."

Steve nods. "I heated up leftovers for you. You need to eat, you missed dinner."

Danny doesn't protest, because despite everything, he is a little hungry. He follows Steve to the kitchen, where there's a warm plate waiting for him.

He forces himself to eat. His appetite still hasn't fully returned, but it's at least improving. Steve sits silently across from him as he slowly clears the plate.

"What's bugging you?" Steve eventually asks when Danny sets his fork down.

Danny sighs. "It might have been better to leave them with Rachel. I've slept through most of the time they've been awake."

"You needed the time with them, even if it wasn't as much as you wanted," Steve counters. "They did, too."

"Yeah," Danny replies. "I guess I did." He pauses. "Listen, Steve. Thanks for doing this."

"Danny, I said I didn't mind helping out with the kids and staying here. You don't have to thank me."

"But you didn't exactly sign up for all this decorating, the lights, and the tree, and everything. Did one of them ask you to do it? Because you could have said no."

Steve shook his head. "The subject of Christmas came up when I was driving them here, but it was my idea to do it."

"Okay, good. I'd like to think you don't do everything my kids ask you to, even if you want to be the cool uncle."

Steve grins. "I am the cool uncle."

"Just remember, Steven, you're going to have to take it all down again once Christmas is over."

Steve gives him a blank look that says he never thought that far ahead. But he schools his features before grinning again. "Anything you need, Danno."

Danny grins, too.

Three days later, Danny opens the box that had just been delivered to his house. He doesn't waste any time taking the item out.

He smiles as he hangs the brand new stocking next to his, Grace's, and Charlie's on the mantle.

The name on it: Uncle Steve.


End file.
